Waking suddenly and prematurely from their winter sleep on the planet ]anus, Ayyar and his Iftin comrades—who, in a former life, had been off-worlders until their recruitment and transformation into Ifts—find a .hostile force threatening their citadel, the great tree fortress of Iftsiga. It is soon apparent that their ancient enemy, an extraordinarily strong--but never seen--evil force, has risen again and is marshaling all its power to rid the planet of the peace-loving Ifts.The beleaguered Iftins attempt to lforin an alliance with some other inhabitants of Janus. The attempt fails, serving only to increase the “forces of evil concentrating against them. The only course remaining is to carry the battle to the heart of the nightmarish W'aste where the enemy exists, there to grapple with the evil that has brooded over Janus for centuries beyond telling.Continuing the exploration of reality and illusion begun so brilliantly in Judgment on Janus, this is another fascinating and complex tale of adventure to add to the list of distinguished science ﬁction that has secured for Andre Norton a reputation as one of the top writers in the field today.

Write-up from the back of the 1968 ACE paperback edition ~

“A fantastic, fascinating and complex tale, a mixture of illusion and reality, from the framework of this latest science-fiction by Andre Norton. Set into this framework is a far off never-never land on a planet called Janus which is inhabited by a new race of “people” known as the Ifts. These green people suddenly find themselves face to face with destruction by an unknown enemy known only as THAT. How they muster courage to wander across a wasteland in search of this enemy, and what, surprisingly, THAT really is, make for am exciting and suspenseful story. Recommended for all science-fiction fans who like a bit of fantasy.” – Catholic Library World

Write-up from the back of the 1970s ACE paperback editions ~

In the vast jungles of Janus, the people of Ift and Naill Renfro, former Earthman and now Halfling, were in trouble: Earthmen were destroying their homeland and they had no idea why.Until Renfro discovered that people who looked like Ifts, whose minds were controlled by an unknown, unnameable foe, had set the Earthmen against them.Now Renfro and the Ifts had to battle an enemy who looked like themselves – with no way of telling the difference!

Write-up from the back of the Fawcett paperback edition ~

The forces of darkness had risen against the Ifts, the changeling tree people of Janus. Earth memories now melded with Iftin consciousness, the Ifts knew only that their very existence was being threatened by those who were once their brothers. But who - or what - had send Earthmen against them?Ayyar the warrior was confused. The day of the dreaded Larsh had passed. But Ayyar did not know of the Ift's greater-to-be-feared enemy ~ THAT WHICH ABIDES. And so it was that the Ifts found themselves faced with a new enemy, and enemy so evil that it was unnameable, so insidious that it was unstoppable, so deadly that it could walk undetected among them and destroy them all forever….

Write-up from the back of the Ballantine Del Rey paperback edition ~

Death StruggleThe Ifts of Janus had once been human. Transformed, each shared his human memory with that of an Ift. But the Iftin memories were stronger, and left the changelings unprepared for the danger which faced them in the form of the unnameable THAT WHICH ABIDES.That dreaded evil was amassing a human army to take over the planet. To Ayyar and the other Ifts, the enemy was too powerful, too insidious, too utterly alien to face.As the chosen warrior, Ayyar had to seek out the heart of the enemy and destroy it, before it vanquished the Ifts for once and for all.“…A fast-moving adventure story set in a vivid imaginary world.” - Booklist

Write-ups from fans ~

Like "Return of the King", the title kind of gives away the ending. As mentioned, this picks up a few months after Judgment on Janus. The Ift are awakened early from hibernation to find a dangerous situation. Off-worlders are trying to destroy the forest that the Ift live in. Who are the Ift who are not Ift? Why are they doing this? Is THAT WHICH ABIDES (again, not the Big Lebowski) behind these attacks? Can Illylle and Jarvas evoke the power of the Mirror of Thanth again?Can Illylle and Ayyar penetrate IT's stronghold and discover not only IT's secrets, but The very nature of THAT WHICH ABIDES? This is a very good read but one should read Judgment of Janus first. I would love to see this made into a movie. After seeing Avatar, this one would be easy to make. One movie would probably do for both books. I believe this is a better story than Avatar. ~ PG

Andre Norton’s 19661 Victory on Janus returns to the bleak world of 1963’s Judgment on Janus. Victory isn’t as grim a book as Judgment, but it is still nothing like upbeat. The Ift, reborn in commandeered and transformed human bodies after millennia of extinction, are still a mere handful. Lacking numbers, their survival is due only to the fact the human colonists on Janus are largely unaware of and consequently indifferent to the alien revenants. Or rather, were. Now the colonists are burning the vast forests around their settlements. If the Ift cannot find out why the humans are doing …. ~ JNRead More…

KIRKUS REVIEW ~ Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1st, 1966In a follow-up to Judgement on Janus, this is one of the most illusory, other-dimensional stories from this excellent science fiction writer. It all concerns the Ifts--plant spirits reincarnated from various exterior sources--aroused from their nirvana-ish state by an attack on their planet from a hostile force (THAT or IT) and from the human off-worlders under ITS control. The battle between good and evil involves an extended, treacherous pilgrimage and occurs more on a psychic than a physical plane. The long complex story is only for Miss Norton's most enthusiastic fans. The writing is in her most involved style and you practically need a machete to break through the underbrush of the Ifts' green, spiritual world.

(1992) Combined with "Judgement on Janus" translation by L. Morgun and "Secret of the Lost Race" translation by KV Prilipko ~ Published in Zelenograd, by Zelenogradskaya Books, 5-863-14009-7, HC, 416pg ~ "Victory on Janus" translation by L. Morgun ~ Russian title Янус [Janus]